A FTTH (“Fiber To The Home”) network is an optical access network providing a number of end customers with broadband communication services from operators, i.e. with services requiring data transmission at a very high rate, for example of some Mbit/s.
Within the framework of the present description and in the following claims, the term “optical access network” is used to indicate optical cables and devices forming the connecting architecture which is typically designed on the base of customer's residence, which can be either single dwelling units (houses) or multi dwelling units (apartment blocks).
Typically, a FTTH network comprises a central unit which is connected with one (or more) distribution box which is typically located in the basement of the building where the end customers reside.
From the distribution box, the final customer can be directly reached by an optical cable, hereinafter referred to as “drop cable”.
Alternatively, when the distribution box is located in a building having multi dwelling units, for example arranged in a plurality of floors, intermediate optical modules are installed at each floor for receiving an optical cable, hereinafter referred to as “riser cable”, which exits the distribution box and runs vertically through the building from the basement up to all the building floors. Typically, riser cables may contains up to 96 optical fibers. The connection between the intermediate optical modules and the customer's residence is then performed with drop cables.
Typically, drop cables are pre-connectorized (which means that at least one end of the cable is equipped with a connector, factory assembled and tested), in order to allow quick and easy connection, without need of qualified operators to make the connection between customer's residence and distribution box.
There is a growing need from the operators for using existing electric home cabinets in order to manage optical equipment, such as drop cables and optical termination modules in the space used for electric equipment, such as electric cables and power circuit breakers. In this context, drop cables and optical termination modules must be mounted on guides, commonly known as DIN rails, within cabinets where electric equipment, such as the power circuit breakers and electric cables, are mounted as well on the same guides.
However, existing electric home cabinets are not designed to manage optical cables and optical termination modules. Due to the very small room existing between rows of guides, the operator needs to access to the optical connectors for connecting the drop cables thereto in a simple and fast manner, possibly without entangling optical cables with electrical cables.
US 2005/0163448 discloses a multi-port optical connection terminal comprising a base and an upper surface provided with a plurality of angled or sloped surfaces. Each angled or sloped surface has a connector port. A stub cable enters into the multi-port optical connection terminal through the stub cable port. The optical fibers of the stub cable are pre-connectorized and the optical connectors are inserted into a sleeve seated in a respective one of the connector ports. One or more pre-connectorized drop cables may be interconnected with the stub cable by inserting the pre-connectorized end of each drop cable into a corresponding connector port from the exterior of the multi-port optical connection terminal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,481 discloses a wall plate assembly with a lower portion and an upper portion pivotally mounted to the lower portion. A fiber storage spool is mounted to the rear of the upper wall. A member with a front face extends from the front face upper portion at an angle with the front face. The front face has apertures for holding couplers adapted to receive, for example, SC connectors. Such an arrangement minimizes any slack or unsupported lengths of fibers thereby avoiding tangling or interference with each others.